


Silver Lining

by Kibu, True_Runic



Series: Ouroboros [2]
Category: Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24712084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kibu/pseuds/Kibu, https://archiveofourown.org/users/True_Runic/pseuds/True_Runic
Summary: Tamvir Lavellan was convinced that he bombed his interview at Ouroboros before he even walked in the door, but the charismatic owner had his own ideas.
Series: Ouroboros [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1786573
Kudos: 3





	Silver Lining

When he had left the house that morning, it had been sunny and beautiful. Leaving work in the late afternoon, the weather had taken a drastic turn for the worse. Rain came down in sheets, soaking straight through anything foolish enough to be out in it. Just bolting from the student center on the quad to the bus was enough to leave Tamvir Lavellan dripping wet.

The bus was full of steaming people and did nothing for the damp. To make matters even more miserable, when he was finally, blessedly off the bus and hurrying down the sidewalk to his destination, the bus zoomed past and sent a tidal wave from a puddle up from the tires. Soaked to the skin and likely looking like a near-cousin to a drowned rat, Tam paused under the awning of the shop on the corner of street.

A glance in the window showed his own reflection and it was as bad as he’d feared. His hair was plastered flat to his head, strands sticking to his cheeks over the branching marks of his vallaslin. His ears dipped even lower than they had been, their expressive points betraying his mood. The shop was his destination; he was supposed to have an interview, but all Tam wanted to do was turn around and go home. One look at him and whoever was conducting the interview would tell him to get lost.

Tam could not be a no-show. He had a responsibility to at least go in and apologize for wasting their time and thank them for considering him. If he was well put-together and presented himself properly, sometimes he could override the stigma of being not just elven, but Dalish. There was no way to do that when he looked like he’d just gone swimming in a gutter.

Tam squared his shoulders as best as he could and pushed open the doors of the Ouroboros cafe. There were a few people occupying the tables, but the only person who showed any concern was the pretty barista. Her whiskey colored eyes went wide at the sight of him, making Tam wince and brace to be thrown out before he’d even had a chance to speak.

“Oh Maker!” To Tam’s surprise, the barista grabbed a towel and moved out from behind the counter. “Here, use this. You're soaking!”

Embarrassingly, Tam left a trail of water behind his squelching sneakers. None of the patrons in the cafe seemed to notice, engrossed in their own little worlds. When Tam reached the counter, the barista passed him the hand towel with a very sympathetic look. “It really opened up out there, especially considering how nice it was earlier. Can I get you something while you dry off a little?”

“I, um,” Tam said, holding the towel in his hands but too stunned to do anything with it. “I was supposed to have an interview, but I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. I just wanted to come in and apologize so I wasn’t just a no-show…” he trailed off awkwardly, setting the towel on the counter without using it.

A man came out from the back room, his eyebrows rising up towards his hairline at the sight of Tam. “Ah, it started raining I see.” He looked at the paperwork in his hand. “You must be Tamvir Lavellan?” 

“I am,” Tam said. He wouldn’t have expected he had it in him to blush, but there it was. “I’m just… I can’t do this,” he said, gesturing down to himself and his sopping clothes. He hadn’t even thought to grab a jacket that morning. “Your time is undoubtedly worth too much to bother, and as they say, you don't get a second chance at a first impression.”

“It’s just a little rain,” the barista assured him. “Being wet isn’t going to stop you from being eligible, is it? I'm Bethany, by the way,” she said and pushed the towel back toward Tam. “Dorian, do we have any bigger towels? That would give him a chance to dry off a bit before interviewing.”

Dorian hadn’t taken his eyes off of Tam since he'd looked up from his paperwork, a small, amused, almost boyish smile on his face. “What was that?” He asked, reluctantly looking away from Tamvir. “Oh, yes. I believe there might be something in the flat upstairs that would work.” 

Bethany rolled her eyes towards Dorian and turned back to Tamvir. "Don't mind him, I think he's still reeling from getting up too early this morning. We have some spare uniforms if you'd like to put one on and we can toss your things into the dryer?" She offered and looked over her shoulder at Dorian pointedly in an attempt to get him to snap out of it. 

Dorian continued to give Tam the oddest look before shaking his head as if out of a daze and gave him a more genuine, professional smile. “What? Oh yes, yes. If that would make you more comfortable?”

It came as a surprise that the people at this cafe were not only willing to help a stray elf, but wanted to. Tam's ears flattened and he shifted uncomfortably where he stood. "It would be more comfortable than being soaking wet," he answered hesitantly. As much as he wanted to trust and believe that they were both as kind as they appeared, he couldn't help being wary of their intentions. If he didn’t want to leave the college coffee stand so much, he would have turned and fled rather than continue standing there awkwardly.

Dorian nodded and turned to head through a back door and up a small set of stairs. "This southern weather is a curse. Tricks you into thinking that it will be a lovely, sunny day and then pisses rain on you just to prove that it can. Doesn't even have the decency to be a warm rain like up north," he grumbled, not looking like he expected a response of any kind. 

Tam looked at Bethany for confirmation as to whether or not he should follow. She gave him a nod and he turned to head reluctantly after the odd man, leaving wet footprints in his wake. Dorian unlocked a door which opened up into the living room of a large, bright flat, and Tam balked again.

Dorian waved Tam in, and Tam gave him a nervous glance before cautiously crossing the threshold. His ears were flat and pinned in to the sides of his head, an outward sign of his discomfort with the entire situation. There were so many stories of people, especially elves, getting abducted in the city and sold into slavery. He’d always thought they were just exaggerated stories told to make young Dalish want nothing to do with city life, but suddenly it all felt terrifyingly plausible.

“What is this?” Tam asked, turning around in the middle of the living room to look up at Dorian. His fingers twitched at his sides and a shiver that was not due to cold threaded down his spine. He licked lips gone dry, watching Dorian carefully.

“A flat,” Dorian pointed out. “I don’t have a guest room in my condo, at least that is what I tell my family so they won't bother me. But when they do show up, I have them stay here and employees also use it as a semi break room at times,” he explained and set the paperwork down on the counter. “Oh and my apologies. I am Dorian Pavus, owner of the cafe,” he said giving Tamvir a dashing smile. “And you met Bethany Hawke. She works the morning shift and also makes all of the pastries and breads for the cafe. I want her to be able to focus more on baking, hence this interview.”

Only a moment later there was a small knock at the door. When opened, it revealed Bethany holding a stack of folded clothes. "I found these in the old uniforms. They are clean and probably be too big for you, but it's better than sitting around in something wet?" She held them out for Tam with a smile. "If you want to go an change I can throw your things in the dryer if you'd like." 

“I don’t want to put you through any trouble,” Tam said, putting his hands up half in protest and half in self-defense. “Really, please.” It was all starting to become overwhelming. “We could just reschedule, or I can go if it’s too much of a problem…”

"It's no trouble," Bethany assured him and put down the clothes on the small coffee table in front of the sofa. "Honestly, so far you're leaps and bounds better than anyone else." 

Dorian frowned a little and cleared his throat pointedly. 

"Well he is!" Bethany laughed and turned her attention back to Tam. "The last gal, Sera something, walked in and wanted to know when she'd be paid for the interview and then started going on about how coffee was nothing but piss bean water!" She laughed again but stopped abruptly seeing Dorian's withering look. "All right, all right. I'm headed back down." She gave Tam a warm smile and patted his arm before leaving. "Good luck." 

Tam looked back at Dorian, twisting his fingers in the dripping cuffs of his sleeves. There was a small puddle forming around him on the hardwood floor. “Do you normally conduct interviews in your apartment?” he asked nervously.

“Again, this is not my apartment,” Dorian pointed out as he sat down in one of the chairs across from the couch. “If anything it is a break room slash my guest room that just happens to not be anywhere near my actual home. Which I greatly prefer. But to answer your question, I have, when the cafe is too crowded and loud.” He glanced between Tamvir and the pile of clothes, then picked the clothes up in one hand and held them out to him. "However, for now why don't you get changed and then we can continue this conversation without you dripping all over the floors?" 

“I…” Tam looked down, plucking at the sodden fabric of his khakis. Even with his strong reservations about the whole situation, he also knew he had no reason not to take the offer at face value - and it would be nice to not have another, even more soggy bus ride. Tam pulled his sodden sweater over his head and followed it with the white button-up he wore underneath after popping the first three buttons. He held the bundle of wet shirts awkwardly in his arms, unsure where to put it. It did feel nice to have the clammy fabric off his skin, though. “Where do I put this?”

“Give them here and I shall put them in the dryer,” Dorian said, holding out a hand for them. “You can use the bathroom over there for the rest. There are large towels in the drawer for you to finish mopping yourself off with.” 

“Thank you,” Tam said, trading his shirts for the dry uniform and heading for the bathroom. Once safely behind the closed door, Tam took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get his heart to stop racing. He peeled out of his shoes and socks, followed by the lost-cause khakis, and attempted to fold them as best as he could manage.

His skin was still damp and quickly getting cold. Tam turned his attention to the drawers to find the promised towels. His search through the drawers turned up empty on the first two, and the third was full but not with towels. Instead, it contained a large assortment of shiny-wrapped flat objects and a pair of fuzzy leopard-print handcuffs. Startled, Tam quickly closed that drawer and located the towels in a different one.

When he’d dried off as best he could, Tam pulled on the borrowed clothes. The shirt hung halfway down his thighs, and the pants were even worse. With the front of them held tightly in one hand to keep them from dropping around his ankles, Tam gathered up his wet things in the towel he’d used and left the bathroom. He felt ridiculous, but at least he was mostly dry. “Er… Mr. Pavus?”

Dorian came out from around the corner and looked Tam up and down and then hastily looked away. “Excellent,” he said with a cough. “That works better than I actually expected it to. And please, it’s Dorian. Mr. Pavus is my father, who is thankfully thousands of miles away from here. You look chilled. Why don’t you have a seat on the couch and I’ll get you a blanket to wrap up in as I put your clothes into the dryer,” he said and held out a hand for the rest of Tam's wet clothes.

“Thank you.” Tam moved over to the couch, perching on the edge of it and pulling one of the pillows into his lap. He toyed with one of the corners while he waited for Dorian to be finished. This was the strangest interview he’d ever heard of, but he was cautiously becoming more optimistic about it.

Dorian disappeared around the corner and it was a few moments before the sound of a dryer starting could be heard. So at least that part of this seemed to be on the up and up, even if this was still a strange situation. It was another few minutes before Dorian returned with a large down comforter in his arms. 

“This bloody country is so cold even in the middle of summer, and I can’t have you freezing on my couch,” he chuckled and leaned over Tam to wrap the comforter around the small elf. With Dorian leaning close it was easy to smell all the different scents on him; coffee, cinnamon, spices, incense. Dorian seemed to linger there a moment longer than necessary before pulling away. 

“Yes, well, I’m sure that will help you feel more comfortable,” he said and moved to sit in one of the arm chairs across from the couch.

“Thank you,” Tam said again. He wasn’t cold, but the extra layer was welcome regardless. It was comforting just to be able to wrap himself up in a cocoon and not have to be mindful of how his borrowed outfit gapped awkwardly on his smaller frame. “How long have you owned this business?” He asked, trying for professional conversation.

Dorian stared a moment, a faint flush appearing on his dark cheeks before he cleared his throat and looked away. “It has been about five years now I believe.” He replied and folded his hands in his lap, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards into a half smile. “Aren’t I supposed to be asking the questions here?” he teased, leaning his head against his hand. “You’ve been working at a coffee shop on the college campus?" He continued and glanced down to scan his resume. "It seems like that would be fairly regular work. Why apply here?” 

Tam’s face flushed and he looked down as well, his fingers clenching on the edges of the blanket. “It’s a good job, yes. I want to leave because… it’s for personal reasons,” he finally tried. He forced himself to look up and meet Dorian’s eyes, but lying even by omission was not something that Tam was good at in most situations.

Dorian raised an eyebrow and tilted his head curiously. “Personal reasons could cover a great many sins. Is it possible that you could clarify that at all?” 

Tam’s discomfort spiked and he surrendered his grip on one edge of the comforter to scrub his hand through his damp hair. “I have no trouble with my coworkers or the company itself. It’s… the environment.” He winced, hating the words immediately. “That’s not quite the right way to put it.” Tam shook his head, his voice tight when he spoke again. “It’s not wise to be Dalish on a university campus.”

Dorian's lips pursed in displeasure and he made a faint tutting noise in the back of his throat. "I see. Even in forward thinking Kirkwall racism knows no bounds," he sighed dramatically with a shake of his head. "You will not find any issue with that here. I assure you. One of the ladies who works the afternoon shift is Dalish from the Sabrae clan. Sweet girl, has broken more glasses and cups than a Qunari in a china shop, but makes one of the best cups of tea I have ever had." 

He shifted and crossed his legs, leaning back comfortably in the chair as he continued. "I convert the cafe into a bar in the evenings and have two bartenders; one from Rivain and the other is another Dalish - a cousin of the young lady I mentioned before. I'm from Tevinter, and if you were not able to tell and our dear Bethany's family hails from Fereldan. So I suppose you could say that we do not have any issues with bigots here, nor do I tolerate them. If I hear of any customer belittling myself or any of my employees they are summarily shall we say, 'given the boot?'"

It was a relief to hear how the staff of Ouroboros came from all over Thedas. The way Dorian and Bethany had acted had already proven Dorian's words weren't just an empty promise of protection; they clearly cared, even for someone they didn't know and who was only there for an interview. Still, hearing it laid out plain did pull a small sigh of relief from Tam. 

He paused and looked down at Tamvir's resume in his hand, eyes skimming down the pages and stopping around the middle. "Looking over this, you've done quite a bit of work with animals? Is there a reason you switched to food service?"

As Dorian changed the subject, Tam's fingers twisted tightly in the hem of the blanket once again. He knew how his resume looked: a job as a pet groomer followed by several different positions with a local veterinary office, and then his current job with the campus coffee stand. He'd listed out his schooling and honors received there, as well as his internships with that same vet - but there was a blatantly conspicuous gap where his education stopped short.

"At first, I started working there because it was what was available," Tam explained after a long moment of gathering his thoughts. "It allowed me to stay on-campus, which was especially beneficial while I was still attending." He hesitated, wetting his lips and keeping his blue-green gaze on the coffee table. Eye contact was important, but sometimes he needed a little less pressure. "I was studying veterinary science, but that can be, er... well, expensive. Even working alongside classes wasn't enough to keep up. But now as much as I'd like to continue working with animals, the only jobs I can find in that wheelhouse are unpaid internships, for people with a higher education than me, or based solely on commission."

Holding up the resume in front of his face for a moment, Dorian glanced between the paper and Tam. "If you get this job would you plan on going back to school? As much as I would like to hire someone as full time it would not be an issue. Both Bethany and Merrill work part time with their classes."

Tam lifted his head again and gave it a small, negative shake. "No. I wouldn't be able to consider going back for quite some time. Even if I save everything I can, I still have to cover my cost of living as well as helping out my clan as much as possible." His previous actions had left his hair hanging in his face and tickling, forcing him to once again move to push it back. As his hair began to air-dry, it also began to lighten in color. It could have been brown in its ragged, sodden state, but the top layer was starting show its true coppery nature as they talked. "Were I to work here and stay on for five, even possibly ten years in the future - perhaps then I may need to request more flexible hours. But until then, I can work as often and for however long you need me."

He took a breath to keep talking, but paused and looked up at Dorian with a barely suppressed desperation. "I don't mind working on Kirkwall's holidays, as the majority of the time they don't align with the holy days of my people. If someone calls in sick, I'm more than willing to cover at any time of the day or night. I work hard, I don't talk back, and I'll do anything you ask," he finished in a rush. Realizing he'd started to lean forward in his earnestness, Tam leaned back and pulled the blanket tighter over his shoulders. This would be where Dorian smiled, thanked him for his time, and told him to leave as soon as the dryer finished.

In reality, Dorian held up a hand and chuckled. "That won't be necessary. The café is closed for most of the holidays, with pay for all employees, and you would even be able to take any holidays that your people celebrate. Since I offer that to Merrill and Kieris I would be quite the hypocrite to not offer it elsewhere." He shifted forward in the chair and looked at Tam thoughtfully. "I know those clothes are a bit large, but do you think you would be able to make me a few coffee items even with them? I would like to test your skills and ability."

Tam started to get up, but the words sank in and he sat abruptly back down. "Oh. Y-yes, I can certainly try. Though I may need a belt of some kind, else I'll be doing everything one-handed. Which I can do if necessary!" he added quickly. Again he got to his feet, but this time he followed through and stood up completely. One hand held the too-big trousers up on his narrow hips while the other awkwardly attempted to fold the comforter into more than just a messy pile where he'd been sitting.

"You can just leave the blanket," Dorian assured him. "Its the least pressing matter at the moment." He looked over Tamvir thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. "A belt..." he pursed his lips with a slight frown. "Well, needs must. At least my pants are less likely to fall than yours are. That or I shall need to find a new tailor." Dorian chuckled and removed his belt, holding it out to Tam. "That should do it."

Tam looked up from the bundle of blanket just in time to see Dorian reach for his belt buckle. It made Tam freeze, his eyes going wide with shock before he was able to process what Dorian's actual intent was. His clear alarm only began to slowly wane after the belt was offered to him and no other untoward movements were made. The strip of leather was warily taken, though Tam felt a little guilty for automatically assuming the worst when Dorian had been nothing but professional and cordial. "Thank you," Tam said. There was a dusting of pink over his freckled cheeks as he worked to thread the belt around his waist and cinch it as tight as it would go.

With a nod of approval, Dorian gestured towards the door back to the cafe. "After you." Dorian said and followed close behind. He gave Bethany a smile and nod over Tam's head as they entered. There were a few customers waiting and Bethany looked like she could use a hand. 

"You're looking drier," Bethany smiled as she wrote down orders on cups and set them aside. "Are you here for Dorian to test you? I've got a couple of orders we can do that with." She motioned to the customer in line that it would be just a moment.

Dorian nodded, settling down at a nearby table and pulled out his phone. He looked between it and them, but the phone quickly won most of his attention. "Yes, and if you can make me the special as well." 

Bethany nodded and wrote down a cup for him as well. "All right, Tamvir. We've got three orders including Dorian's. Have you worked with one of these machines before where I can throw you into the deep end as it were?" There were two cups sitting next to the machine, each noted with the basic shorthand of the drinks that they needed to become. 

Tamvir's very first order of business, before he touched anything at all, was to wash his hands. Only then did he skirt around Bethany to take a look at the machine. "It's a little more complicated than the model I'm used to, but I'm fairly certain the important parts are the same," he said after a moment. "Which of the orders comes first?"

Bethany arranged the cups in order for him and Tam got to work. Ouroboros's machine wasn't too different from the one at his current job, so it only took him a moment's uncertainty before he got it working. He set the first of the completed drinks on the pickup counter while the second one worked, and turned to Bethany again. "What is your special, if you don't mind me asking?"

Glancing over to see how closely Dorian was watching, Bethany turned so he couldn't see her face before grimacing. "The special is a cinnamon Orlesian toast latte. If you ask me, it's all sugar with the tiniest hint of coffee. But Dorian loves all drinks like that, so there is usually a different sugar bomb special every other week." She laughed a little and grabbed the ingredients for the special as Tam worked through the other drink.

Once the second cup was passed over the counter to its waiting owner, Tam looked to Bethany again. She may have gotten all the ingredients together for him, but he still didn't know the ratios or the proper way to combine them. "If you wouldn't mind giving me a quick rundown, I can put it together from there." He wasn't about to go making it up on his own, given it was a particular special drink to the cafe. There were certain aspects he could easily assume, but he chose to err on the side of caution.

"It's a basic latte, just with multiple flavors and whipped cream on top. I have found one trick though. If you put the syrup and the cinnamon in before everything else it blends better for some reason," Bethany shrugged and leaned back to let Tamvir do what he needed for the drinks.

It was easy enough to put together the specialty latte, following both his normal understanding of such drinks and the little, very appreciated, tip from Bethany. Tam finished it up with a little flourish, adding a simple fern design on top with the whipped cream framing it before setting the cup and saucer carefully up on the counter for pickup. With all the drinks finished, and no immediate need to have clean hands, Tam took the opportunity to hitch the too-large pants up higher on his hips. At least the shirt covered the few inches they'd started to slip while he'd been working.

Bethany's eyebrows went up seeing the design that Tam left in the top of the coffee and she smiled towards Dorian with an approving nod. At that signal, Dorian slowly stood to collect his order. He paused, his eyes widening like Bethany's when he saw the design on top.

Tam's anxiety kicked in again as Dorian came over to judge. It may have been a bad idea for him to ad-lib and show off. Such worries were quickly laid to rest, however, as Dorian paused to a snap a picture with his phone and smiled at Tam. "Very nice. Now let's see how it tastes." 

He raised the cup carefully to his mouth, taking a dainty sip as to not get any of it into his mustache and then took another before nodding. "Yes, well done. Though for the future I would like you to note that whenever I order a drink I would like it with a straw." 

"He worries about mussing up his facial hair," Bethany mock whispered to Tam.

At first the joke went entirely over Tam's head. He was too wrapped up in worrying about if he'd done well enough to pass. It took him a moment, but finally gave Bethany a small smile and shook his head. "That's not something I'd ever think about, admittedly. Considering I doubt I'll ever have facial hair to worry about."

"From what I can tell, most people with facial hair don't worry about it either." Bethany shrugged and crossed her arms with a playful smile of her own. "Dorian is just fussy about his appearance." 

Dorian cleared his throat loudly and set down the cup. "I am not fussy, I am precise. There is a difference." Dorian frowned at Bethany. "Also, Bethany, dearest. I realized that we have a very casual relationship between the two of us, but I would appreciate you not undermining me in front of new employees." He ran a hand over his mustache, smoothing out any possible flaws or stray hairs. 

"Putting aside Bethany's apparent attitude towards authority figures," Dorian said with a heavy sigh. "If you would be interested, and would be able to show me at least a small amount of respect that the rest of my employees seem to lack, I would like to offer you a full time position. It would be four days a week, with a 10 hour shift and an hour for lunch. Would you be able to start tomorrow?"

Dumbfounded, Tam swung his attention back to Dorian like a deer caught in the headlights of an eighteen-wheeler. There was too much white noise suddenly in his ears to properly hear what else the man might have to say. His eyes going very wide, his face suddenly very pale behind its dusting of freckles, Tam bowed at the waist and kept his head down. "Th-thank you very much! I promise I won't let you down!"

Dorian held up his hands in defeat. "Now, now, no need to grovel just yet," he assured Tam with a chuckle. "Just be here tomorrow morning at six..?" He looked at Bethany, who rolled her eyes and nodded in confirmation. "Yes, at six. Bethany will be here to walk you through the details of things and then I shall be in around ten or eleven to go over the final paperwork."

"You don't, I mean..." Tam stopped himself, chewing for a moment on his lower lip before continuing with less of a rushed and tumbling pace. "Don't you need to 'consider your candidates and think it over before making a decision', or at do a background check, or a drug test...?" he asked, apprehensive. If something was too good to be true, it usually was. He hated having to think that way, but it just seemed too impossible to just be offered a job on the spot. If he was attractive and human, maybe. Those were the only people he'd ever heard talking of being offered a job like that; the conventionally attractive, usually blond, humans.

"How do you know I haven't already done a background check?" Dorian asked, raising an eyebrow at Tam. "Those sort of things can be done ahead of time. And as far as drug tests go..." He grimaced and sighed heavily. "Let us say 'not worth it.'" He made a cutting motion with his hands. "I'm not worried about drugs. If you do anything that reflects negatively on the business, drug related or otherwise, then you will be fired. Simple as that." 

"Also if he did drug tests, he'd have to fire Isabela every week," Bethany added under her breath. She gave Tam a conspiratorial wink and moved to clean some of the tools for the coffee machine. 

If Dorian heard her, he pretended not to notice. He huffed, looking more than a little put out as he brushed a hand at his hair in case some of it was out of place. "Not that I need to explain my process to you, but I am one for transparency. We need someone quickly, you were the last interview, and the other candidates couldn't tell an espresso machine from a sports car. Would you like the position or not? Or is it just that tomorrow is too soon for you?"

Tam's gaze darted from Dorian to Bethany and back like a cat watching ping pong. It ultimately settled on Dorian, however, with a flustered. "N-no! I want it, I really do! I can absolutely start tomorrow as long as I go by campus tonight and let them know." He glanced toward the darkened windows, where rain still poured like it was coming out of an upturned bucket, and flinched slightly. It wasn't going to be fun going back out into it for an extended period. "But, er... however dry my clothes are now, I should probably get changed. Even if they're still a little wet, it's okay." They were just going to get soaked all over again, after all.

"Excellent!" The smile was back on Dorian's face. He nodded at Tam and pulled out his wallet to retrieve a business card from it. It was pitch black, with gold filigree lettering that showed the Ouroboros logo and 'Dorian Pavus, Owner' with his cell number and email underneath it. "Hold onto that. I shall be right back with your things." He handed the card over to Tam before going back and jogging up the stairs. 

"You get used to him," Bethany laughed. "I'm glad that you'll be joining the team though! It will really help us out."

As Dorian hurried off, Tam turned the business card over and over in his hand. Eventually he tucked it away into his wallet and looked up at Bethany. "He's certainly... different, isn't he?" he asked cautiously, throwing another glance toward the stairs. The last thing he wanted was Dorian coming down while he was saying anything that could be misconstrued as negative. "I look forward to starting tomorrow. Though I have to admit to having a few reservations. Change is always a little frightening."

Though he knew anything would be better than his current workplace, Tam had no idea what he was walking into. There were many variables, even if he quite liked Bethany already and was cautiously optimistic about Dorian. Just because the man was attractive didn't mean he was trustworthy - yet Dorian had also been nothing but kind, understanding, and shockingly nonjudgmental. Tam had to give him the benefit of the doubt. And he really, really wanted to leave the campus coffee stand.

"Change can be fun too. Do you have any questions that I could maybe answer for you?" Bethany offered, leaning against the back counter casually. "Dorian tries to be helpful, but I think there are a lot of times where he doesn't quite know how to talk to people and ends up dominating the entire conversation."

Tam had questions, but he wasn't sure how many of them he was comfortable asking yet. So rather than voice anything, he simply shook his head. "I don't know yet, but thank you. If I have anything to ask I'm sure you'll be the first person I come to, though." He hitched the pants up again, feeling them starting to slip down a little farther than he was comfortable with. "Oh- that's something, actually." Blushing faintly, Tam gestured to himself. "Will this be what I'm, er, expected to wear for now?"

"Oh right!" Bethany gasped and looked around the counter, grabbing a pad of paper. "Sorry, let me get your sizes for you so we can order you something if we don't have anything in the back storage. If you have a black shirt and pants that should work just fine until we have something official for you." 

"Yes, yes. Trust Bethany to remember all the details that I have forgotten," Dorian chuckled, coming back into the room with Tam's clothes draped over his arm and a thick manila envelope in the other. "Everything I may have forgotten is in this." he said holding up the envelope and then offering everything to Tam. "Your clothes seem to have gotten all the way dry."

Tam quickly scribbled down the asked-for sizes on Bethany's notepad, if only to have something to look at other than the weirdly embarrassing sight of Dorian standing there holding his clothes. "I have black clothes," he confirmed with a nod. When he found himself needing to address Dorian again, he kept eye contact in hopes of not making things suddenly as awkward as he felt.

"Thank you very much. Is there... um, where should I change?" Tam asked, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks despite his best efforts.

"Yes," Dorian nodded back towards the stairs. "The room upstairs would be the more comfortable, rather than the customer restroom." He watched Tam go back up the stairs and sighed. "Jumpy, little thing isn't he?" 

Bethany shrugged. "You can be intimidating Dorian. You come on a little strong at times." She said as she briefly went into the back room and returned with an umbrella to loan Tam. "Remember how nervous you made Merrill at first? She couldn't form full sentences around you for almost a month."

At the top of the stairs, Tam chastised himself for eavesdropping and made sure the shut the door in complete silence. He could move quietly when he wanted to, which allowed him to tiptoe to a more acceptable area of the flat to change. The oversize uniform he folded carefully and set aside before pulling on his now-dry and considerably more comfortable clothes. If he could have gotten away with it, he would avoid shoes entirely, but even he had no desire to go out on the streets of Kirkwall without footwear. So with some reluctance, he tugged on his sneakers and tied the laces.

Fully dressed, Tam picked up the borrowed uniform with Dorian's belt rolled up on top. He caught a glance of himself in a mirror on his way to the door and blanched. His hair was a wild mess, like a rat's nest of bright copper wire. A combing with his fingers helped, but there was nothing to fully fix it. Not that it mattered, of course, as soon he'd be right back out into the rain. There was only so long he could delay going back downstairs.

Tam emerged from the flat and went down to the cafe proper to find Dorian and Bethany. "Thank you for the use of... everything."

"You are welcome. I am glad that you still decided to come in." Dorian smiled, his eyes roving over Tam's suddenly more tame hair. "Despite the bit of bad luck with the weather."

"I couldn't just not show up when I made a commitment!" Tam exclaimed, aghast at the idea. Doing something like that would just add to the stereotype about elves, especially Dalish. "Though I didn't think you'd actually still want to talk to me, considering everything. First impressions are so important, and..." he trailed off and shook his head. "Regardless, thank you."

"Speaking of weather," Bethany said, stepping forward and holding out the umbrella to Tam. "Hopefully this will help. You can bring it back to me tomorrow."

The umbrella was a surprise, Tam taking it gingerly and giving Bethany a wide-eyed look. "I can really use this?"

"First impressions are bullshit tied with a bow." Dorian scoffed and rolled his eyes. He looked like he was going to say more, but held his tongue. Tam stared at Dorian in shock. That sort of language, from the owner no less, was not something he was used to hearing at work. Unless it was from customers, anyway. 

"Yes, you can absolutely use it," Bethany answered, ignoring Dorian's comment. "I wouldn't have offered otherwise. I keep it here for weather emergencies like this and I have alternate ways to get home while it looks like you probably don't."

Though he stammered a thank you, Tam accepted the umbrella. "I'll bring it back tomorrow," he promised. It was a relief to have something to allow him to not immediately get soaked as soon as he stepped outside; Tam vastly preferred being dry. "I hope it isn't too much of an inconvenience for you. Can I pay you back somehow?"

"Don't even worry about it," Bethany assured him, waving a hand towards him. "I can call my older brother to pick me up. He's easily bribed with baked goods." She shrugged and stepped next to Dorian in order to subtly elbow him.

He cleared his throat and briefly looked almost sheepish. "Yes, hopefully your trip home will be far less aquatic than your trip here, and we will see you tomorrow."

"I-- that is--" Tam stopped himself and took a deep breath. Letting it out in order to re-center, he smiled and held the umbrella tightly. "Thank you. I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow." He backed toward, the door and nearly tripped over one of the tables in the process. With a small, self-conscious laugh he gave a little wave and scurried out, making sure to pop the umbrella as he went through the door. There was no way to keep from getting a little wet, but at least when the bus that would take him off to the college arrived he wouldn't be drenched to the skin again.


End file.
